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Qualcomm backs new wireless gaming startup

Qualcomm is backing a new startup called Zeebo, which will provide a wireless video gaming experience and is betting that people in developing countries will play games as much as those in developed nations.

The chipmaker is backing the company, whose console provides users with an HSPA connection, enabling the console to always be connected to the Internet. The console is targeted to the middle class in the so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and other developing countries. Users purchase and receive gaming content and other updates through an over-the-air 3G connection. Zeebo is going to launch the product in Brazil next month for $199, and other countries may get the console for $179. Eventually, by 2010, Zeebo hopes to push the price down to $149.

This is the latest move by Qualcomm to get beyond its traditional cell phone chip business.